Online Privacy

Do you know how much information your friend Google has on you? Do you have a gmail account? Google use one, single cookie to track your usage of all their services, from Google searching to Goolge Mail or Maps or Froogle or anything else. If you have Gmail, they can link that cookie to your email address, your email history, your searching, do you also have Google Desktop?

So one, single, private company has a picture of your online habits that is exceptionally detailed. They know all sorts of things about you. What do they do with that information? Can you view it under the Data Protection Act (UK legislation), no. Do you know what they do with it? No. Sure, you know what it says in their privacy policy (have you read that by the way?) but do you actually know? No.

Google shrouds their search algorithm (the way they find things online) in secrecy to prevent abuse. So by definition, they’re a company that’s done very well keeping secrets. How sure can you be that they’re using your data as they’ve said? More to the point, why should you have to trust them? Do you have to trust the Yellow Pages?

If you’re concerned about your privacy online, check out Tor (new window), which is blocked in Thailand, and for more on Google, check out Google Watch (new window). Tor allows you to browse the internet almost completely anonymously.

Very interesting point bro – infact it was this very point that gave me inspiration for my dissertation next year – on Google. Think i’m gonna create a Google Dissertation blog quite soon and share my findings as i find them, and the general process of writing a dissertation.

Check my site regularly so as not to miss the announcement…oh and also just cause it’s a darn-tooting amazing site! ha ha ha